Dungeon Champions

We emerged into a cramped entryway that could have passed for an ordinary foyer, if not for the eerie stillness that permeated the air. At roughly fifteen-by-ten feet, the space barely contained our group, forcing us to huddle together like sardines in a can.

It was also nothing like a standard dungeon entrance.

The expected carved stone and rough-hewn passages were nowhere to be seen. Instead, polished wood paneling and ornate crown molding greeted us, a jarring contrast to the dungeon we'd expected. A pastoral painting of a sheep farm hung on one wall. A lone coat rack stood sentinel beside the room's only exit, while the shimmering portal that had deposited us here had vanished without a trace.

“How are we supposed to leave?” Britney asked, her voice taking on a bit of a high-pitched whine.

“By beating the Core,” I said, although I wasn’t really sure of that.

Senior Agent Kieran dusted her hands on her legs. “Let’s get to work, people.”

Despite the room's limited space, Kieran's team fanned out. They squeezed past my party members, muttering apologies as they positioned themselves along the walls. Avoiding the door, they scrutinized every detail—peering behind the painting, tugging at the coat rack's arms, and running their hands over the wood paneling, paying extra attention to the area behind us.

My companions and I huddled in the center, exchanging uncertain glances. The cramped space and limited points of interest left us feeling useless, relegated to watching the agents work.

I noticed Nym and Sadie looking concerned and gave them both very soft pets on the head. Britney and Merielle were both muttering to one another, but it didn’t seem to be anything they needed help with.

“Jordan,” Skullie whispered from his place on my back. “This defies nature. Dungeons emerge organically—they're not constructed. This... this is a perversion.”

I grimaced. “I know, buddy. But we’re here now. We need to figure out what’s going on and put a stop to it.”

“This looks like someone’s house,” he said, grinding his new teeth together. “If not for the dungeon aura seeping through that door, I'd swear we'd been transported back to Boulibar Bay.”

Skullie's words gave me pause. Had the portal merely relocated us within Boulibar Bay? Surely someone would have detected dungeon energy emanating from a local dwelling... wouldn't they?

I looked at the door. “The only way we’re getting answers is going through there.”

Agent Kieran’s head snapped up, and she glared at me. “Stay your ground. We’ll continue together.”

“You brought adventurers with you to explore this, and you don’t want us to do adventurer things?” Britney huffed. “This is stupid.”

She started to walk toward the door, and I put a hand on her shoulder. “Hold on. Let’s give them just a minute.”

“Why?” she asked, pushing my hand off her. “We are adventurers.” She punctuated each word with a stomp of her foot. “And this is a dungeon. The only way we’re going to stop it is by defeating it, just like you said. So let’s go all ready!”

Before I could stop her, Britney brushed past me and marched over to the door.

“Britney, wait!”

My warning came a heartbeat too late.

The instant the door swung wide, a gust of foul air engulfed us. The odor assaulted our senses—a nauseating blend of decay, rot, and an even more repugnant essence.

Beyond the doorway wasn’t the cozy interior we expected, but a scene ripped from our darkest nightmares. Pulsating, fleshy growths carpeted the walls. Writhing tendrils of unidentifiable organic matter snaked across the floor. From the ceiling hung massive, cocoon-like sacs, each one large enough to hold a person.

Britney stumbled back, eyes wide in horror. “What is that?”

Agent Kieran shoved past her, weapon drawn. “I told you not to open the door!”

“I… I didn’t…”

“Too late! Move.”

We filed into the hallway. It took everything I had not to gag on the stench. It was so much worse than the smell coming off the monstrosities at the portal. The fleshy growths squelched under our feet as we moved.

“This is wrong,” Skullie muttered from my pack. “So very wrong.”

He was right. This was far worse than I had imagined. Whatever had created this “dungeon” was twisting the very nature of reality.

We crept down the hallway, staying in a tightly packed group. Everyone was on high alert, yet they were also avoiding looking at the fleshy walls. Which of course made me want to look closer.

One of the cocoons moved.

A muffled cry came from within.

“There are people in there,” I said, incredulous.

Zuri gasped.

Agent Kieran spun to face me, her eyes wide. “What?”

I pointed at the nearest cocoon. “There are people trapped inside these things.”

Kieran cursed under her breath. “This just keeps getting worse. We need to get them out.”

“Wait,” Skullie warned. “We don’t know what those cocoons are doing to them. Removing them could be dangerous.”

Kieran hesitated, clearly torn between the desire to rescue potential victims and the need for caution. Finally, she nodded. “You’re right. We need additional information before we act.” Kieran paused, frowning. “For now, we keep moving. But we mark this location so we can come back.”

I didn’t feel great about that. What if the people were fueling the dungeon somehow? But asking Kieran’s team to stop and investigate felt counterproductive, considering the fact that we’d just rushed them out of the previous room.

With a nod, we continued down the corridor. The walls pulsed unnaturally around us. The occasional muffled cry or twitch from a cocoon sent shivers down my spine. What kind of twisted mind could create something like this?

After what felt like an eternity, we reached a junction. The hallway split into three separate paths, each looking equally unpleasant.

“Which way?” Nym asked. Her ears twitched nervously.

Kieran frowned, studying each path. “We’ll have to split up. Cover more ground that way.”

I shook my head. “That’s a terrible idea. We have no idea what we’re dealing with here. Splitting the parties could get us all killed.”

What I didn’t say was that I wasn’t worried about my party, despite our lower levels. Her team seemed capable, sure. But they were trade agents, not full-time adventurers with Tablets.

The horned agent snapped back “We don’t have time to argue about this. Every minute we waste could mean someone else getting in trouble here. We need this over.” She gestured to her team. “Tallis, Brog—you’re with me. We’ll take the left path. Whistle, Rurik—take the right. Jordan, you and your team take the center.”

I wanted to argue, but I could see the fire in Kieran’s eyes. She had a point about time being of the essence. And splitting up would allow us to cover more ground.

“Fine,” I conceded. “But let’s make this a fallback point. At the first sign of serious trouble, we regroup.”

“Agreed.”

The groups split off down their respective paths.

“Stay alert,” I said. “We don’t know what kind of traps or monsters this place has.”

We kept going. Deeper into the fleshy corridors. The stench of decay grew stronger with each step, and I could hear the occasional muffled cry from the cocoons lining the walls.

“I hate this,” Britney muttered. “This is so wrong.”

“That’s what I said!” Skullie said, his new teeth clacking.

Nym, whose ears were flat against her head, with her tail tucked, managed a weak grin. “Bet you’re glad you didn’t wear those heels in here, right?”

The celestial did not reply, just hunched further.

It occurred to me that what we were experiencing was a type of attack. Our Tablets and class abilities weren’t applicable because this was purely psychological. The enemy had shaped this place, either deliberately or not, to crush morale.

Got to keep everyone focused or we’ll lose cohesion, I thought.

Reaching out, I touched Britney’s shoulder. When she didn’t pull away, I said, “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get through this.” Squeezing, I added, “This is temporary. We’re going to beat it. But in order for that to happen, we need to not get caught off guard. Let’s keep going, all right?”

She inhaled, eyes focusing on my face as she straightened.

Around us, the rest of the team also responded. It wasn’t like everyone miraculously became the ultimate adventuring party and wasn’t bothered by the horrific sounds around us. But they focused up and moved forward as a unit.

Merielle was in front, her hammer held out in front of her to block the hallway. Nym and Sadie came up just slightly behind her and off to the side, allowing the elf to take the lead but also still being up front. The two of them were on high alert. It was adorable to see their ears moving like little satellite dishes, and in any other situation, I might have teased them for it. Britney and Zuri brought up the rear, with me behind them.

I was proud of my team. They weren’t working together autonomously, but it didn’t take much to get them to fall into line. It was becoming routine, and would only become more so with additional training and levels.

Suddenly, Merielle held up a hand, stopping us. “Wait,” she whispered. “Do you hear that?”

We all froze, straining our ears. At first, I heard nothing but the sickening squelch of the walls. Then, faintly, I caught it—a rhythmic thumping sound, like a giant heartbeat.

“It’s getting louder,” Nym said, her ears twitching. “And…closer?”

She was right. The thumping grew in volume and intensity. The fleshy floor beneath our feet began to vibrate in time with the beats.

My borrowed instincts screamed at me.

“We need to move,” I said. “Now!”

But before we could take a step, the corridor in front of us bulged outward. The flesh-like walls stretched and distended, forming a massive, pulsating bubble.

With a wet, tearing sound, the bubble burst. A flood of viscous fluid poured out, along with…something else.

When the liquid cleared, we found ourselves face to face with a nightmarish creature. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, but its body was a patchwork of mismatched parts—fur, scales, tentacles, and raw, pulsing flesh. Multiple eyes blinked at us from random spots on its torso.

Britney gagged. “Oh, gross!”

The monstrosity before us let out a bone-chilling roar, its misshapen mouth revealing rows of jagged teeth. Without warning, it lunged forward, tentacles lashing out.

In the heartbeat before we engaged the thing, I instinctively assessed the situation. We were surrounded, in terrain that wouldn't allow us to work together, and against an unknown opponent and its potential allies.

That left one option: strategic retreat.

I shouted, “Run!”

We dove in different directions as the creature’s tentacles slapped at us. The meat-lined corridor made movement difficult—our feet sank into the soft, yielding floor with each step.

Fighting in this was going to be impossible.

Jordan: We need to get somewhere we can maneuver! Zuri, Nym, and Britney, go!

A tentacle slammed my way and I rolled to the side to get away from it. Summoning my sword, I came to my feet and whirled, slashing at the tentacle.

My attack split the appendage, creating a gorey wound several feet deep. Syrupy blood oozed out, leaving me hoping this creature didn’t have any sort of regenerative ability.

Then the two halves of the split appendage slapped together, healing with shocking speed.

“That’s not good.”

Merielle slid beside me, batting off another tentacle with her hammer. “Jordan, stay with the others, I’ll distract it!”

The idea was ludicrous. Merielle was still level four, and was facing what had to be an elite, if not boss-tier monster.

That’s when I remembered the missing level.

Behind me, Nym screamed.

Darting between a bear-like paw and a tentacle, our red-headed elf warrior zipped from one side of the hall to the other. “Go! Protect our team until we can find the right space!”

“Are you sure?”

“Go!” She reiterated.

I went.

Turning, I saw Nym had only gone a dozen feet further down the hall. She, Zuri, and Britney, were being menaced by a nest of vines that resembled intestines covered in teeth. Any doubt about Merielle’s strategy fled as I saw them in danger.

Rushing to the group, I wrapped an arm around Nym and Britney, then backed through the lashing vines, trusting my armor to protect me. It did. Mostly. Several long, itching scratches burned across my neck and scalp as I pulled my companions through the dangerous area.

Zuri, seeing my intention, crouched and followed, using the momentary gap I’d created to get herself to the other side.

We made it to the clear hallway and a sudden motion nearly made me drop my companions. There was a loud yowl, then I felt Sadie leap from Nym to me, clinging to my armor and climbing to perch on my shoulder once we got through the vine things. The cat’s tiny, razor-sharp claws found purchase on my armor and she hunkered down, ears flat back as she looked around, eyes round with fear.

Britney screamed and I felt a sharp tug. I looked over my shoulder and noticed there was a tentacle around her leg, pulling her down. Another growth must have burst up beneath her feet, yanking her from me. But before I could turn around and try to save her, Zuri was there, pulling the celestial out of trouble.

“Thanks,” Britney gasped, coming back to her feet.

“Less talk, more running!” Zuri snapped, her wrap slipping back to reveal her nest of serpents. They were going wild, looking in every direction, as if seeking a viable target.

They found none.

We arrived at an intersection that looked different than the last. My instincts tugged at me to go in a specific direction, and I listened. Putting Nym down, I pointed. “Let’s go this way!”

Risking a glance back, I made sure Merielle was keeping up.

Incredibly, despite having suffered numerous nasty cuts, she had.

Jordan (to Britney): Use thorns on Merielle if you can!

In the split second pause, the celestial held her hands up and performed the spell. An aura sprang up around Merielle, reducing the ongoing damage she was taking from the environment and returning it to the surroundings.

Instantly, long and shallow cuts began to appear on the walls and floor as she adapted her strategy, becoming less defensive and more strategic.

Jordan (to Merielle): Take the left path!

Merielle (to Jordan): Got it!

I and the rest of the team, minus Merielle, fled down the hall my gut told me was the right one.

The walls seemed to be…receding. It was difficult to tell with the pulsating flesh in the way, but the passageway looked wider that way, and it was better than trying to go back to the beginning.

Extending my sword, I stuck the tip in the living wall, drawing it along with us. The magic of the sword pulsed and surged, as alive as the monstrous entity we fought. I got a feeling the Bloodletting attribute was essentially in a constant-state of triggering, as we left a dripping, oozing ocean of blood behind us.

It felt like we ran for an hour, although it was probably only minutes. The sounds of Merielle’s ongoing fight continued behind us. Britney not only kept the Thorns effect up, but she also applied it to Nym, providing the most vulnerable of our party with extra protections.

When she saw me look over, the celestial shouted, “I get two for one now. If the mana cost is the same, I might as well use it!”

“Good girl,” I said, earning a look of surprise and pleasure.

Glancing back to check on Merielle’s progress, I witnessed something incredible. Shielded, and with friends to protect, our Ballistic Knight had come into her own, using her class abilities to their fullest advantage.

Because her class massively increased her speed and reduced the chances of her being struck, she effectively became a hummingbird menacing a mutated giant. Every time one of the monster’s limbs came close, she brought her hammer into play. Pushing off the impact, she would flip, or tumble, or simply slide to the side.

Between her agility and acrobatics, she was doing something I wouldn’t have considered: she’d turned a straight-forward combat into a retreating game of chess and she was playing it masterfully.

Even when the monster, or terrain, damaged her - Britney’s Thorns effect nearly nullified the damage and reflected it in a burst of retributive, holy energy. It was only then that I noticed just how effective Britney’s magic was against our foe.

Whereas our opponent seemed to heal nearly as fast as my sword could make it bleed, Britney’s holy energy seared the thing’s wounds, preventing them from recovering. The juggernaut chasing Merielle was covered in signs of it, from scorch marks on multiple tentacles, to several missing fingers on one bear-like hand.

We’re doing it! Even fleeing, our team was…

BLURCH!

A protrusion erupted from the floor to my right. Turning in time to see it, I tackled Nym aside. Sadie hissed and launched herself from my shoulder, leaping over the reaching appendage. Twisting awkwardly in midair, I slashed at the pseudopod of tooth-covered meat. Even with the Fast modifier, the tentacle got out of the way.

I hit the ground and rolled, coming up in a sprint. Zuri and Britney were already ahead, and Nym quickly found her footing. She grabbed Sadie as I stayed back, creating a web of steel between the women and the new nodule.

“Jordan, watch out!” Nym yelled, her voice cutting through the squishy noises.

I glanced up. The ceiling bulged downward, swelling like a water balloon ready to burst.

Jordan (to Merielle): The ceiling is about to cave in! Come on!

Before she could reply, I saw that it wasn’t only about to cave in over us, but further down the tunnel as well. Highlighted by flashes of red hair and holy magic, there was another section about to slam down. Right over Merielle.

“Get back!” I shouted, diving out of the way as a wall of writhing meat descended between us.

In the moment that followed, panic hit my chest like a sledgehammer. “Merielle!” I shoved myself to my feet and began slashing frantically at the meat wall separating us from our companion.

Her voice came back, echoing oddly, “I’m fine! I got back just as the ceiling came down. It’s on the other side. How are you? How’s the team?”

I looked back, making sure no new horror had spawned to threaten us. Britney sagged, ending her thorns effect with a, “I’m going to need a mana crystal.”

“We’re fine,” I said, summoning a few of the small ones and tossing them to Britney. She caught them, holding them to her forehead.

The creature bellowed, its rage reverberating through the tunnels. We heard it smashing against the wall, just as stuck as us.

That gave us precious seconds.

“Merielle, I’m going to make a hole!”

I tried digging my sword into the wall, only for it to heal almost immediately. “Crap,” I snarled, looking back at Britney. “Thorns me, please!”

She did, an aura of magic pulsing around me.

Once again, I cut at the wall, but this time I also shoved my arm into the laceration, forcing my arm into the cavity I’d created. As the material tried to heal around my arm, it dealt enough damage to trigger the retributive part of Thorns. The effect was even better than I’d hoped.

Much better.

Holy damage, in an enclosed space, went off like a bomb. It blasted a three-foot-diameter, blackened hole that did not regenerate. Slicing again, I repeated the process twice, creating just enough room for Merielle to squeeze through.

By the time I was done, the scent of seared, rotting flesh was enough to make even me want to gag.

“ROAARRRRR!”

THWOOM THWOOOM THWOOM

The monster’s roars were echoing louder and louder as it forced its way through the other barrier.

We were out of time.

“Here!” Merielle shouted, pushing her arms and shoulders into the hole I’d made. Grabbing her outstretched hammer, I yanked her through the tunnel and into the room with us. She came down right as the other wall collapsed, exposing our pursuer.

Seeing us through yet another wall, it loosed a high-pitched squeal and lunged. Its chest rippled and an immense, thigh-thick tentacle shot from its torso like a frog’s tongue. The appendage burst through the hole we’d carved, wrapping around Merielle’s torso.

I shoulder-tackled the tongue, driving my sword into the meat as hard as I could. Barbs burst from the monster’s new limb, striking me hard enough to deal real damage and trigger Thorns. A fresh blast of holy energy helped me wedge my sword through the tongue, amputating it.

“OOOWOOOO!” The monster howled like a dog, sucking the tongue-thing back into its chest.

Turning, I saw Merielle pushing the still-writhing limb off her torso. She hadn’t paused to see what I was up to, however. More tentacles had burst through the tunnel, creating a gauntlet of pulsing danger.

Nym, Britney, and Zuri, were being menaced, their armor and clothes sliced as cruel barbs cut furrows into flesh.

Together, Merielle and I rushed into the melee. As soon as she had a moment, Britney applied the second of her Thorns applications to Merielle. That allowed the elf warrior to literally throw herself into harm’s way, smashing limbs and dealing catastrophic damage to our foe.

As a group, we began to make progress, moving from one pulsating mound to another. Balance was difficult, as was reacting to the various sizes and shapes of the hellscape meat tunnel. But we did make progress.

A glance over my shoulder showed the creature tearing through the remnants of the living wall. Its bulk filled the corridor behind us, its myriad eyes fixed on our fleeing forms.

Ahead, Merielle and Zuri were hacking at a particularly dense knot of tentacles blocking the path. Britney cowered behind them, her face pale.

“Hurry!” Zuri shouted.

I put on a burst of speed, leaping over a fissure in the floor that opened up before me. Nym followed, her jump carrying her nearly to the ceiling. For a moment, I thought she would crash into the ceiling growths, but she twisted in midair, kicking off the yielding surface to propel herself further.

We hit the ground running, dodging and weaving through the forest of flailing appendages. The creature’s roar grew deafening, its hot breath washing over us. I could feel its presence looming at our backs, spurring us on.

Merielle let out a triumphant cry as her hammer smashed through the last of the blocking tentacles. “Go! Go!”

We charged, bursting into a larger, circular chamber.

The creature followed, its gigantic form filling the entrance. Its body was blackened and it had lost mass during the chase, but its eyes blazed with fury. It loomed over us, a tower of mismatched flesh and writhing limbs.

“Who’s ready for a boss fight?” I asked, feeling the familiar siren song of coldness finally settle into place in my chest.

Interlude: Pre-Fight Status Check

My Tablet gave me a quick summary of events, my high Cunning score allowing me to take it in before the combat began.

Jordan

Status: Infected with (??)

Hit Points: 175

Mana: Max

Merielle

Status: Infected with (??)

Hit Points: 32

Mana: Max

Nym

Status: Infected with (??)

Hit Points: 48

Mana: 85

Zuri

Status: N/A

Hit Points: 57

Mana: 64

Britney

Status: Infected with (??)

Hit points: 48

Mana: 19